'Welcome to Foldables': Samsung braces for Apple's foldable iPhone challenge

By Hyunjoo Jin

SEOUL, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Samsung launched a publicity campaign for its foldable phones, touting its hardware advantage and its early entry into the segment as it seeks to fend off a major challenge from Apple.

Apple unveiled on Wednesday the Duo, a folding $1,999 iPhone aimed at shaking up a category long dominated by Samsung and Chinese companies such as Huawei, whose devices have struggled to move beyond a niche audience.

Apple adopted the passport-shaped design that Samsung Electronics unveiled less than two months ago with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, priced at $1,899 and powered by Alphabet's Gemini artificial intelligence. "Apple's pricing was one of the most impressive parts. Keeping the iPhone Duo just under the $2,000 mark, at $1,999, and only about $100 above the Galaxy Z Fold 8 looks like a pretty bold move by Apple," said Liz Lee, an associate director at market research firm Counterpoint.

"We expect that Apple will really change the competitive landscape in foldables, and Samsung will see the most visible share pressure. But Samsung also has scale, years of experience and strong global distribution," she said.

Counterpoint expects Apple to hold a 25% market share, catching up with Samsung, which is expected to capture a 38% share this year.

Samsung put up billboard advertisements in major cities including Seoul, Tokyo and London, with slogans such as "Welcome to Foldables" and "The World's Lightest Fold," highlighting the thin and light design of its devices. The company also detailed its long-running efforts to reduce the weight of its foldable phones in a post on its website on Wednesday.

Responding to Apple's launch on Wednesday, Samsung launched a flurry of sarcastic posts on X, mocking what it portrayed as a lack of meaningful innovation through taunts such as "reheating our leftovers" and "So far, so same”.

Apple's new CEO John Ternus criticised existing foldables as being "like two phones awkwardly stuck together."

Samsung launched the first mass-market foldable phones in 2019, after initial setbacks as reviewers reported broken screens and other display issues, forcing a delayed rollout.

Since then, the Korean company has launched eight generations of foldable phones, as it faces growing competition from Chinese rivals like Huawei.

Apple is leveraging the supply chain Samsung has built for foldable phones, including foldable screens made by Samsung's own unit, Samsung Display.

"Apple is good at getting its timing right and entering the market when a product reaches a certain level of maturity," said Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo JinEditing by Ed Davies and Sam Holmes)